News 'Encanto' and 'Indiana Jones'-themed experiences at Animal Kingdom

pigglewiggle

Well-Known Member
All this new stuff that's been "announced" but not announced, do you think we really have to wait until D23 to hear timelines of closures?

It would be a dream to hear about planned closures at least more than 4 months in advance of a trip. 😄
 

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
I'd love to be wrong, but I can't help thinking

1) Indy
2) Encanto
3) Tropical Americas
4) Zootopia TOL
5) Lion King
6) Night Show

seems to be a bit too optimistic. I just don't know if that Lion King (or whatever dealers choice) attraction will come to be. But maybe they are really serious about not giving up their length of stay to Epic medium term so feel Animal Kingdom needs to be turned into unskippable.
I actually see it as return on value for park guests. A lot of visitors probably aren’t park hoppers. If you are looking to spend time at the parks on a trip, are you dropping money on a park that closes at 7 or at 9, 10 or 11?

DAK is most likely cannibalized by the other WDW parks. Now add Epic Universe to that mix. This park needs more popular rides that are open all day and through the night, rain or shine. That is what Tropical Americas gives them, along with the Lion King dark ride. Harambe needs more to do after dark. A popular dark ride would help them in this regard.

And if they really want to make this park competitive long term, they NEED a night time show…something original.
 

eddie104

Well-Known Member
They will also need more rides and or attractions
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BrianLo

Well-Known Member
I actually see it as return on value for park guests. A lot of visitors probably aren’t park hoppers. If you are looking to spend time at the parks on a trip, are you dropping money on a park that closes at 7 or at 9, 10 or 11?

Exactly why IOA and USF also aren’t ready for Epic.

And if they really want to make this park competitive long term, they NEED a night time show…something original.

Oh I agree. They should do it, the park would benefit tremendously. It’s my Disney usually chooses the good enough option historically and that ‘good enough’ option seems to lack Lion King. Trying to temper my own expectations.

Though I guess one could make an argument this is not excessive based on DHS and even what Epcot was ‘supposed’ to be. Though both of those parks were in a sorry state, DAK is great and just needs more to do.
 

SpectreJordan

Well-Known Member
That is a nice way to think of it.

I don't think that was executives thought as they have let it rot and completely torn down an attraction in the middle of it.

If they are only starting with Dinoland, it will be five years before anything else gets touched, and Rafiki and other things need attention.

Zootopia has also been announced to be going in Tough to be a Bug, so there will be quite an ugly mess.
Rafiki's is fine as it is. It's a lovely, quiet getaway from the rest of the park. I love going there to pet some animals, look at some creepy crawlies & draw a character.

They even occasionally have small shows about some of the petting zoo animals presented by cast members. I was over there & one just happened to start, it was super fun & educational.

I'm not sure how you could even update this area. Making it a major attraction would be a nightmare since it's kinda backstage & you have to get to it through train. There's definitely no reason to replace this when DAK has several expansion pads.
 

SilentWindODoom

Well-Known Member
After binging 100+ pages on Tiana, I finally watched that video someone linked that I kept forgetting when I had an opportunity to go see and now could finally catch up on the... 100+ pages. Hooo...

See? Now you've gone and made me feel old.

It's sad that "New Fantasyland" and DCA's overhaul still seem "recent" to me, given the rather sparse investments since.

Animal Kingdom still feels relatively new to me. :hungover:

I mean, Gina Torres, the actress they replaced Gary Sinise with In Mission Space wasn't exactly a complete nobody at the time but I think a lot of people who weren't fans of the short-lived Firefly series probably wouldn't know her.

Where all the Suits fans at?

A removed attractions park would easily be my favorite park.

It exists in our hearts... and probably only there because I'm pretty sure Kevin Perjurer forgot about it.

Like the pole dancers at Epcot but in animal costumes?

Did I miss something? What is this?

Okay more important:

What kind of food do you serve at an archaeological dig-themed restaurant across from the Indiana Jones Adventure?

Dirt cups with hard sugar bones baked in.

I really hope a majority of the ride doesn’t take place in Antonio’s room. The water ride info gave me that worry, but… they wouldn’t be that silly, right?

The choice isn't between a "book report ride" and a ride that completely abandons the themes and strengths of the IP.

The hatred of "book report rides" is being opportunistically inflated by folks trying to defend Disney (which really isn't needed in this case). Besides, the best alternative to "book report rides" are "rides that focus on one integral aspect or scene from the original" - ie. Snow White, Mine Train, Mr Toad, Peter Pan, Splash, etc.

And no, the ride is not going to center on the tragic setting in which the protagonist's grandfather was brutally murdered. Don't be silly.

Having just gone through all those pages, there is more context. People have been deriding the property for not having anything to do with animals. Others have suggested there are plenty of elements that could fit the park and give it an animal focus.

Book report rides aren't necessarily a bad thing. Just had that conversation in the Tiana thread. The mention of avoiding this being a book report ride is with the lens that such a ride is exactly the sort of ill-fitting shoehorning in of Encanto that people have been wailing and gnashing their teeth at. It wouldn't be a bad thing elsewhere.

Meanwhile, beginning in the waters of Antonios room, possibly with an expansive queue that goes into one room, then in through a hole into the walls to another room and then travels through numerous rooms would be absolutely wonderful. If a chaotic animal escape and flood happens as mentioned before, then the boats could travel through different rooms... perhaps down the stairs and out into the jungles or through some manner of punched hole. Enjoying animals and a boat ride and enjoying the parts of the story that everyone wants to see realized in real life are not exclusive.

I'm excited.

I think the real question is...do guests actually want this? My guess would be no.

I got to the end of Encanto and... I was left wanting more. It was a cast of characters that I felt didn't all get as much use as I would have liked and I would have loved to see a sequel series.

I'm always in for seeing the continued adventures of beloved characters.
 
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celluloid

Well-Known Member
Rafiki's is fine as it is. It's a lovely, quiet getaway from the rest of the park. I love going there to pet some animals, look at some creepy crawlies & draw a character.

They even occasionally have small shows about some of the petting zoo animals presented by cast members. I was over there & one just happened to start, it was super fun & educational.

I'm not sure how you could even update this area. Making it a major attraction would be a nightmare since it's kinda backstage & you have to get to it through train. There's definitely no reason to replace this when DAK has several expansion pads.

I said needs attention. Not updating. There are corners completely neglected and at the time I made the post you quoted, it was a mess operationally with the drawing demonstration and entering in there.
 

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Oh no...Rafiki's needs to be completely replaced...after waiting for the train to get there and the thinking....why am I here ? An odd collection of leftovers from a regional zoo is what it felt like to me.... With the train as the means to get there it should be something amazing....Like a train into the Australian Outback...or anyplace you might really want to be other than a petting zoo. Yeah Yeah I know some people like it....It all feels like a missed opportunity for something truly special...
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Oh no...Rafiki's needs to be completely replaced...after waiting for the train to get there and the thinking....why am I here ? An odd collection of leftovers from a regional zoo is what it felt like to me.... With the train as the means to get there it should be something amazing....Like a train into the Australian Outback...or anyplace you might really want to be other than a petting zoo. Yeah Yeah I know some people like it....It all feels like a missed opportunity for something truly special...

It's where all the veterinary facilities are, so it's unlikely to significantly change. I think it's more likely they'd eliminate it entirely from a guest perspective (i.e., just leave it as the vet facilities without any guest facing component) than have any major overhaul to the offerings there.

I personally like it as is and don't think it needs to change (other than some modernization). It's a fun respite from the rest of the park.
 
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DisneyHead123

Well-Known Member
Oh no...Rafiki's needs to be completely replaced...after waiting for the train to get there and the thinking....why am I here ? An odd collection of leftovers from a regional zoo is what it felt like to me.... With the train as the means to get there it should be something amazing....Like a train into the Australian Outback...or anyplace you might really want to be other than a petting zoo. Yeah Yeah I know some people like it....It all feels like a missed opportunity for something truly special...
Agree that this is one of the few areas that I don’t think is really up to current Disney standards. It reminded me of the boring local city museums I might take my son to on a weekend. For a city museum I appreciate the effort because funds are limited. For Disney, super underwhelming. Especially because the train is great!

Since they added the Animation Experience not all that long ago, wonder if any additional updates would be along those lines… an area for classes or events.
 

Zummi Gummi

Pioneering the Universe Within!
Oh no...Rafiki's needs to be completely replaced...after waiting for the train to get there and the thinking....why am I here ? An odd collection of leftovers from a regional zoo is what it felt like to me.... With the train as the means to get there it should be something amazing....Like a train into the Australian Outback...or anyplace you might really want to be other than a petting zoo. Yeah Yeah I know some people like it....It all feels like a missed opportunity for something truly special...
The most interesting time to be there is first thing in the morning, when most of the veterinary facilities are in use. However, that is also the time most guests are making their way to Pandora, Safaris, or Everest.

By the time most people make their way out there (midday, when it gets hot and they're looking for some respite), there's not much happening besides the drawing classes.
 
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Bocabear

Well-Known Member
and drawing animation classes are not really a match for DAK....even if they are drawing animals... It needs to be a suprising and jaw-dropping destination at the end of the train ride....like a small village in the 19th century Australian Outback..... or a Moroccan village and exploration trail featuring the animals from the upper African continent.... Something special and remarkable. Heck that would even be a good place to put Mystic Point and an exploration trail featuring the strangest animals on the planet...Lord Mystic's Menagerie. So many things could be done that don't look like a county park zoo.
 

999th Happy Haunt

Well-Known Member
and drawing animation classes are not really a match for DAK....even if they are drawing animals... It needs to be a suprising and jaw-dropping destination at the end of the train ride....like a small village in the 19th century Australian Outback..... or a Moroccan village and exploration trail featuring the animals from the upper African continent.... Something special and remarkable. Heck that would even be a good place to put Mystic Point and an exploration trail featuring the strangest animals on the planet...Lord Mystic's Menagerie. So many things could be done that don't look like a county park zoo.
A brand new land and E-Ticket accessible only by train would be an absolute operational nightmare.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
and drawing animation classes are not really a match for DAK....even if they are drawing animals... It needs to be a suprising and jaw-dropping destination at the end of the train ride....like a small village in the 19th century Australian Outback..... or a Moroccan village and exploration trail featuring the animals from the upper African continent.... Something special and remarkable. Heck that would even be a good place to put Mystic Point and an exploration trail featuring the strangest animals on the planet...Lord Mystic's Menagerie. So many things could be done that don't look like a county park zoo.

That's functionally impossible. They can't have anything super popular up there because the train can't transport enough people there and back -- it would be a nightmare.

It's a small add-on area that could have been kept entirely backstage. I think it was nice that they decided to make it guest facing at all, but nobody should expect too much from it.
 
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Bocabear

Well-Known Member
There is a gigantic expansion pad right next to the train loop... Perhaps this could all be on the train loop with a walking access back to civilization....coming out in Asia... If they ever have plans to use this expansion pad at all, they would have to put the access in anyway... and nothing is impossible if they want to do it...
You could take the train journey to the new expansion, or walk through the back of Asia....
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
There is a gigantic expansion pad right next to the train loop... Perhaps this could all be on the train loop with a walking access back to civilization....coming out in Asia... If they ever have plans to use this expansion pad at all, they would have to put the access in anyway... and nothing is impossible if they want to do it...
You could take the train journey to the new expansion, or walk through the back of Asia....

The train can't be used for any kind of expansion that will attract more people. They absolutely have to have walking access for any expansion.

If/when they do expand up there, it's more likely the train is removed entirely (I think insiders have even pointed this out).
 

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